missads

At the risk of repeating other posts, I just wanted to share my experience of being able to find affordable health insurance for my parents. Here are some details:
Parents - over 65, here on Green Card (permanent residents)
Living in the US for less than 5 years (about 2 years)
Eligible for tax subsidy through Obamacare (this does NOT constitute a public charge)
Residents of State of Michigan, have social security numbers
Eligible for Silver level insurance plans
Filed their $0 federal/state taxes jointly, separate from mine (I do NOT claim them as dependents on my tax return - this is important)
I had searched the healthcare.gov website last year for insurance for them and came up empty handed. We purchased "travelers insurance" online (***removed***) but got shafted. My parent had a major health incident and they didn't cover anything (all claims were denied as pre-existing condition) Stay away from these types of insurance.
I tried healthcare.gov again this year and couldn't find anything again. Many seem to assume, wrongly, that everyone over 65 is eligible for Medicare by default. This isn't true for immigrants, they need to have lived in the US for at least 5 years before they can participate in Medicare.
Anyway, the short story is healthcare.gov has still not caught on to this. If you want to purchase health insurance, you will need to work with a healthcare navigator. There are several public service organizations that have these navigators who will help you for free. They will help you do the application over the phone, and then it works just fine. I am in Michigan and went through Jewish Family Service. Have your parents green cards and SSN handy, that is all they need.
There appears to be a widely held misconception that immigrant seniors over 65 are not covered by Obamacare. This is absolutely NOT true. You don't have to wait for 5 years for Medicare to kick in. Recent immigrants older than 65 can purchase health insurance via healthcare.gov, just like any other US citizen or legal permanent resident. Some state exchanges might not know it, the person you talk to on the phone might not know it, the healthcare.gov website certainly doesn't appear to understand this special situation, but trust me parents on green cards who have been in the US less than 5 years ARE eligible for subsidized health coverage.
I was able to get health insurance for my parents who have no income, for around $100 a month per parent (after a $1000 tax subsidy, because their income is less than limit of ~$21K) Now that is REALLY affordable, and it is proper mainstream insurance (Blue Cross Michigan) None of that travelers' insurance BS.
Just trying to get the word out, because the open enrollment deadline is January 31st. If your parents arrive after Jan 31st, you can still sign up at that time, because their arrival date qualifies as a special "life event". But if they are already in the US, please sign up by Jan 31st. Otherwise they will have to wait until November for the next enrollment period to begin.

At the risk of repeating other posts, I just wanted to share my experience of being able to find affordable health insurance for my parents. Here are some details:
Parents - over 65, here on Green Card (permanent residents)
Living in the US for less than 5 years (about 2 years)
Eligible for tax subsidy through Obamacare (this does NOT constitute a public charge)
Residents of State of Michigan, have social security numbers
Eligible for Silver level insurance plans
Filed their $0 federal/state taxes jointly, separate from mine (I do NOT claim them as dependents on my tax return - this is important)
I had searched the healthcare.gov website last year for insurance for them and came up empty handed. We purchased "travelers insurance" online (***removed***) but got shafted. My parent had a major health incident and they didn't cover anything (all claims were denied as pre-existing condition) Stay away from these types of insurance.
I tried healthcare.gov again this year and couldn't find anything again. Many seem to assume, wrongly, that everyone over 65 is eligible for Medicare by default. This isn't true for immigrants, they need to have lived in the US for at least 5 years before they can participate in Medicare.
Anyway, the short story is healthcare.gov has still not caught on to this. If you want to purchase health insurance, you will need to work with a healthcare navigator. There are several public service organizations that have these navigators who will help you for free. They will help you do the application over the phone, and then it works just fine. I am in Michigan and went through Jewish Family Service. Have your parents green cards and SSN handy, that is all they need.
There appears to be a widely held misconception that immigrant seniors over 65 are not covered by Obamacare. This is absolutely NOT true. You don't have to wait for 5 years for Medicare to kick in. Recent immigrants older than 65 can purchase health insurance via healthcare.gov, just like any other US citizen or legal permanent resident. Some state exchanges might not know it, the person you talk to on the phone might not know it, the healthcare.gov website certainly doesn't appear to understand this special situation, but trust me parents on green cards who have been in the US less than 5 years ARE eligible for subsidized health coverage.
I was able to get health insurance for my parents who have no income, for around $100 a month per parent (after a $1000 tax subsidy, because their income is less than limit of ~$21K) Now that is REALLY affordable, and it is proper mainstream insurance (Blue Cross Michigan) None of that travelers' insurance BS.
Just trying to get the word out, because the open enrollment deadline is January 31st. If your parents arrive after Jan 31st, you can still sign up at that time, because their arrival date qualifies as a special "life event". But if they are already in the US, please sign up by Jan 31st. Otherwise they will have to wait until November for the next enrollment period to begin.

My parents did not claim any exemptions in their tax returns (0 income, 0 taxes, 0 exemptions.) I could have claimed them as dependents on my tax returns and gotten about $3950 x 2 in personal exemptions each year, but I chose not to. That is the tradeoff we made in return for them getting PTCs.
I think we have beaten this to death. There's really only one way to find out. If there is an audit or I run into any other trouble, I will share it in this thread. If I'm proven wrong so be it, but until then let's suspend judgment.
I wish all of you good luck in your search for affordable healthcare for your loved ones.

Please refrain from using strong language like "fraud". If you follow the discussion on the previous page (e.g. look at Post #27) I have pointed to instances where the forms indicate LPRs are eligible for premium tax credits.
I believe there is some confusion on the definition of "dependent". USCIS' definition of dependent (i.e. beneficiary of a visa sponsor via form I-864) is different from the IRS' definition of a tax dependent.
My research indicates that if parents with no income file taxes separately, there are not considered a dependent. They are not considered a part of the sponsor's "tax household" even if they are part of the "physical household" i.e. live at the same address as the sponsor. Mia77 disagrees with this. My parents have applied and been approved for insurance coverage with premium tax credits. Has Mia77, or anyone else for that matter, applied and been turned down based on the "dependent" clause? We have both made our points, you can do your own research and come to your own conclusions.
Healthcare.gov reviewed my parents' immigration status, tax records etc. and determined that they were eligible for premium tax credits. We provided all the information they asked for (copies of green cards, SSN for looking up tax and other government records) We did NOT withhold any information, we did NOT commit fraud. We went through a certified healthcare navigator, even he confirmed that there was a lot of misinformation out there, and that LPRs are indeed eligible for tax credits.
I'm just trying to help by sharing my experience on the forum. I do not appreciate my advice being called "fraud" when I'm trying to help other folks in a situation similar to mine.

Where exactly does it state that if you CAN be claimed as a dependent you MUST file as a dependent? What the law says is that IF you (the sponsor/child) claim someone (parents) as a dependent, then you can't claim a tax subsidy for their health premiums, because your income is included in the household income. If they file separately, they are considered a separate "tax household" even if they live in your house (same filing address.)
With all due respect, it doesn't matter what you "think". The only thing that matters is the law.
To summarize, in order to claim the tax credit for parents with no income:
- Beneficiaries (parents) should NEVER have been claimed as dependents on their sponsor's (child's) US tax returns (this is REALLY important)
- Beneficiaries should file their own tax returns as married filing jointly (if married) In this case, it would be 0 income, 0 taxes on the forms.
- Fill out the health subsidy reconciliation form the following year. Again 0 income means 0 taxes.
I wish people would stop fear mongering and just stick to the facts.

10 things immigrant families need to know about the Obamacare marketplace
https://www.healthcare.gov/blog/10-things-immigrant-families-need-to-know-about-the-marketplace/
Check out #2 - it clearly states that LPRs are eligible for tax subsidies (based on their income, of course.)
LPR parents with no income ARE eligible for tax credits. Period.

There seems to be a lot of honest misinformation out there. Most people (including me, until recently) just assume that their newly immigrated senior parents are not eligible for health coverage. I have gone through the process successfully and can only report on my experience.
My advice to the skeptics is to use a healthcare navigator or call the healthcare.gov team directly and apply for health insurance. Don't be paralyzed into inaction simply based on hearsay. The worst thing they can do is say no. More likely though, you are going to be pleasantly surprised by the results.

At the risk of repeating other posts, I just wanted to share my experience of being able to find affordable health insurance for my parents. Here are some details:
Parents - over 65, here on Green Card (permanent residents)
Living in the US for less than 5 years (about 2 years)
Eligible for tax subsidy through Obamacare (this does NOT constitute a public charge)
Residents of State of Michigan, have social security numbers
Eligible for Silver level insurance plans
Filed their $0 federal/state taxes jointly, separate from mine (I do NOT claim them as dependents on my tax return - this is important)
I had searched the healthcare.gov website last year for insurance for them and came up empty handed. We purchased "travelers insurance" online (***removed***) but got shafted. My parent had a major health incident and they didn't cover anything (all claims were denied as pre-existing condition) Stay away from these types of insurance.
I tried healthcare.gov again this year and couldn't find anything again. Many seem to assume, wrongly, that everyone over 65 is eligible for Medicare by default. This isn't true for immigrants, they need to have lived in the US for at least 5 years before they can participate in Medicare.
Anyway, the short story is healthcare.gov has still not caught on to this. If you want to purchase health insurance, you will need to work with a healthcare navigator. There are several public service organizations that have these navigators who will help you for free. They will help you do the application over the phone, and then it works just fine. I am in Michigan and went through Jewish Family Service. Have your parents green cards and SSN handy, that is all they need.
There appears to be a widely held misconception that immigrant seniors over 65 are not covered by Obamacare. This is absolutely NOT true. You don't have to wait for 5 years for Medicare to kick in. Recent immigrants older than 65 can purchase health insurance via healthcare.gov, just like any other US citizen or legal permanent resident. Some state exchanges might not know it, the person you talk to on the phone might not know it, the healthcare.gov website certainly doesn't appear to understand this special situation, but trust me parents on green cards who have been in the US less than 5 years ARE eligible for subsidized health coverage.
I was able to get health insurance for my parents who have no income, for around $100 a month per parent (after a $1000 tax subsidy, because their income is less than limit of ~$21K) Now that is REALLY affordable, and it is proper mainstream insurance (Blue Cross Michigan) None of that travelers' insurance BS.
Just trying to get the word out, because the open enrollment deadline is January 31st. If your parents arrive after Jan 31st, you can still sign up at that time, because their arrival date qualifies as a special "life event". But if they are already in the US, please sign up by Jan 31st. Otherwise they will have to wait until November for the next enrollment period to begin.

At the risk of repeating other posts, I just wanted to share my experience of being able to find affordable health insurance for my parents. Here are some details:
Parents - over 65, here on Green Card (permanent residents)
Living in the US for less than 5 years (about 2 years)
Eligible for tax subsidy through Obamacare (this does NOT constitute a public charge)
Residents of State of Michigan, have social security numbers
Eligible for Silver level insurance plans
Filed their $0 federal/state taxes jointly, separate from mine (I do NOT claim them as dependents on my tax return - this is important)
I had searched the healthcare.gov website last year for insurance for them and came up empty handed. We purchased "travelers insurance" online (***removed***) but got shafted. My parent had a major health incident and they didn't cover anything (all claims were denied as pre-existing condition) Stay away from these types of insurance.
I tried healthcare.gov again this year and couldn't find anything again. Many seem to assume, wrongly, that everyone over 65 is eligible for Medicare by default. This isn't true for immigrants, they need to have lived in the US for at least 5 years before they can participate in Medicare.
Anyway, the short story is healthcare.gov has still not caught on to this. If you want to purchase health insurance, you will need to work with a healthcare navigator. There are several public service organizations that have these navigators who will help you for free. They will help you do the application over the phone, and then it works just fine. I am in Michigan and went through Jewish Family Service. Have your parents green cards and SSN handy, that is all they need.
There appears to be a widely held misconception that immigrant seniors over 65 are not covered by Obamacare. This is absolutely NOT true. You don't have to wait for 5 years for Medicare to kick in. Recent immigrants older than 65 can purchase health insurance via healthcare.gov, just like any other US citizen or legal permanent resident. Some state exchanges might not know it, the person you talk to on the phone might not know it, the healthcare.gov website certainly doesn't appear to understand this special situation, but trust me parents on green cards who have been in the US less than 5 years ARE eligible for subsidized health coverage.
I was able to get health insurance for my parents who have no income, for around $100 a month per parent (after a $1000 tax subsidy, because their income is less than limit of ~$21K) Now that is REALLY affordable, and it is proper mainstream insurance (Blue Cross Michigan) None of that travelers' insurance BS.
Just trying to get the word out, because the open enrollment deadline is January 31st. If your parents arrive after Jan 31st, you can still sign up at that time, because their arrival date qualifies as a special "life event". But if they are already in the US, please sign up by Jan 31st. Otherwise they will have to wait until November for the next enrollment period to begin.

Please refrain from using strong language like "fraud". If you follow the discussion on the previous page (e.g. look at Post #27) I have pointed to instances where the forms indicate LPRs are eligible for premium tax credits.
I believe there is some confusion on the definition of "dependent". USCIS' definition of dependent (i.e. beneficiary of a visa sponsor via form I-864) is different from the IRS' definition of a tax dependent.
My research indicates that if parents with no income file taxes separately, there are not considered a dependent. They are not considered a part of the sponsor's "tax household" even if they are part of the "physical household" i.e. live at the same address as the sponsor. Mia77 disagrees with this. My parents have applied and been approved for insurance coverage with premium tax credits. Has Mia77, or anyone else for that matter, applied and been turned down based on the "dependent" clause? We have both made our points, you can do your own research and come to your own conclusions.
Healthcare.gov reviewed my parents' immigration status, tax records etc. and determined that they were eligible for premium tax credits. We provided all the information they asked for (copies of green cards, SSN for looking up tax and other government records) We did NOT withhold any information, we did NOT commit fraud. We went through a certified healthcare navigator, even he confirmed that there was a lot of misinformation out there, and that LPRs are indeed eligible for tax credits.
I'm just trying to help by sharing my experience on the forum. I do not appreciate my advice being called "fraud" when I'm trying to help other folks in a situation similar to mine.

Please refrain from using strong language like "fraud". If you follow the discussion on the previous page (e.g. look at Post #27) I have pointed to instances where the forms indicate LPRs are eligible for premium tax credits.
I believe there is some confusion on the definition of "dependent". USCIS' definition of dependent (i.e. beneficiary of a visa sponsor via form I-864) is different from the IRS' definition of a tax dependent.
My research indicates that if parents with no income file taxes separately, there are not considered a dependent. They are not considered a part of the sponsor's "tax household" even if they are part of the "physical household" i.e. live at the same address as the sponsor. Mia77 disagrees with this. My parents have applied and been approved for insurance coverage with premium tax credits. Has Mia77, or anyone else for that matter, applied and been turned down based on the "dependent" clause? We have both made our points, you can do your own research and come to your own conclusions.
Healthcare.gov reviewed my parents' immigration status, tax records etc. and determined that they were eligible for premium tax credits. We provided all the information they asked for (copies of green cards, SSN for looking up tax and other government records) We did NOT withhold any information, we did NOT commit fraud. We went through a certified healthcare navigator, even he confirmed that there was a lot of misinformation out there, and that LPRs are indeed eligible for tax credits.
I'm just trying to help by sharing my experience on the forum. I do not appreciate my advice being called "fraud" when I'm trying to help other folks in a situation similar to mine.

At the risk of repeating other posts, I just wanted to share my experience of being able to find affordable health insurance for my parents. Here are some details:
Parents - over 65, here on Green Card (permanent residents)
Living in the US for less than 5 years (about 2 years)
Eligible for tax subsidy through Obamacare (this does NOT constitute a public charge)
Residents of State of Michigan, have social security numbers
Eligible for Silver level insurance plans
Filed their $0 federal/state taxes jointly, separate from mine (I do NOT claim them as dependents on my tax return - this is important)
I had searched the healthcare.gov website last year for insurance for them and came up empty handed. We purchased "travelers insurance" online (***removed***) but got shafted. My parent had a major health incident and they didn't cover anything (all claims were denied as pre-existing condition) Stay away from these types of insurance.
I tried healthcare.gov again this year and couldn't find anything again. Many seem to assume, wrongly, that everyone over 65 is eligible for Medicare by default. This isn't true for immigrants, they need to have lived in the US for at least 5 years before they can participate in Medicare.
Anyway, the short story is healthcare.gov has still not caught on to this. If you want to purchase health insurance, you will need to work with a healthcare navigator. There are several public service organizations that have these navigators who will help you for free. They will help you do the application over the phone, and then it works just fine. I am in Michigan and went through Jewish Family Service. Have your parents green cards and SSN handy, that is all they need.
There appears to be a widely held misconception that immigrant seniors over 65 are not covered by Obamacare. This is absolutely NOT true. You don't have to wait for 5 years for Medicare to kick in. Recent immigrants older than 65 can purchase health insurance via healthcare.gov, just like any other US citizen or legal permanent resident. Some state exchanges might not know it, the person you talk to on the phone might not know it, the healthcare.gov website certainly doesn't appear to understand this special situation, but trust me parents on green cards who have been in the US less than 5 years ARE eligible for subsidized health coverage.
I was able to get health insurance for my parents who have no income, for around $100 a month per parent (after a $1000 tax subsidy, because their income is less than limit of ~$21K) Now that is REALLY affordable, and it is proper mainstream insurance (Blue Cross Michigan) None of that travelers' insurance BS.
Just trying to get the word out, because the open enrollment deadline is January 31st. If your parents arrive after Jan 31st, you can still sign up at that time, because their arrival date qualifies as a special "life event". But if they are already in the US, please sign up by Jan 31st. Otherwise they will have to wait until November for the next enrollment period to begin.

At the risk of repeating other posts, I just wanted to share my experience of being able to find affordable health insurance for my parents. Here are some details:
Parents - over 65, here on Green Card (permanent residents)
Living in the US for less than 5 years (about 2 years)
Eligible for tax subsidy through Obamacare (this does NOT constitute a public charge)
Residents of State of Michigan, have social security numbers
Eligible for Silver level insurance plans
Filed their $0 federal/state taxes jointly, separate from mine (I do NOT claim them as dependents on my tax return - this is important)
I had searched the healthcare.gov website last year for insurance for them and came up empty handed. We purchased "travelers insurance" online (***removed***) but got shafted. My parent had a major health incident and they didn't cover anything (all claims were denied as pre-existing condition) Stay away from these types of insurance.
I tried healthcare.gov again this year and couldn't find anything again. Many seem to assume, wrongly, that everyone over 65 is eligible for Medicare by default. This isn't true for immigrants, they need to have lived in the US for at least 5 years before they can participate in Medicare.
Anyway, the short story is healthcare.gov has still not caught on to this. If you want to purchase health insurance, you will need to work with a healthcare navigator. There are several public service organizations that have these navigators who will help you for free. They will help you do the application over the phone, and then it works just fine. I am in Michigan and went through Jewish Family Service. Have your parents green cards and SSN handy, that is all they need.
There appears to be a widely held misconception that immigrant seniors over 65 are not covered by Obamacare. This is absolutely NOT true. You don't have to wait for 5 years for Medicare to kick in. Recent immigrants older than 65 can purchase health insurance via healthcare.gov, just like any other US citizen or legal permanent resident. Some state exchanges might not know it, the person you talk to on the phone might not know it, the healthcare.gov website certainly doesn't appear to understand this special situation, but trust me parents on green cards who have been in the US less than 5 years ARE eligible for subsidized health coverage.
I was able to get health insurance for my parents who have no income, for around $100 a month per parent (after a $1000 tax subsidy, because their income is less than limit of ~$21K) Now that is REALLY affordable, and it is proper mainstream insurance (Blue Cross Michigan) None of that travelers' insurance BS.
Just trying to get the word out, because the open enrollment deadline is January 31st. If your parents arrive after Jan 31st, you can still sign up at that time, because their arrival date qualifies as a special "life event". But if they are already in the US, please sign up by Jan 31st. Otherwise they will have to wait until November for the next enrollment period to begin.

Since the parents have filed married filing jointly, this precludes the rules about being claimed as a dependent.. of which it would not matter much anyway. The law states all persons must have health insurance or pay a penalty, but since the parents in this case make well below any threshold for a penalty, the penalty will not apply... yet they certainly need healthcare. However, because they also make below the threshold, but will not qualify for Medicaid because of their immigration status, they are well within their rights to obtain insurance from the exchange whether it is subsidized or not. That's how the ACA is supposed to work.
If the parents did not file, or for some reason filed married but filing separately due to provisions regarding abuse or refugee status, combined with the children buying a private health insurance plan for them (which you'd probably be hard pressed to find a private insurance that would accept someone of that age) which contributed toward the dependent claim threshold support test - this would be a different story.
This article is regarding the ACA, state and federal exchanges, and discusses several scenarios involving immigrant and elderly parents. http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/obamacare-answers-to-your-most-pressing-questions/ You'll have to scroll a bit to see them near to the bottom in the immigrants section.
The question over if the OP's solution is legal and factual is none. It is legal and it's great that the OP found a solution for his elderly immigrant parents. Repeat after me. It is legal. It IS legal. IT IS LEGAL.
https://www.medicareresources.org/faqs/can-recent-immigrants-to-the-united-states-get-health-coverage-if-theyre-over-65/
http://ww2.kqed.org/stateofhealth/2013/10/09/for-legal-immigrants-obamacare-has-options-for-aging-parents/
http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/news/2014/11/health-insurance-for-immigrant-seniors/index.htm

Where exactly does it state that if you CAN be claimed as a dependent you MUST file as a dependent? What the law says is that IF you (the sponsor/child) claim someone (parents) as a dependent, then you can't claim a tax subsidy for their health premiums, because your income is included in the household income. If they file separately, they are considered a separate "tax household" even if they live in your house (same filing address.)
With all due respect, it doesn't matter what you "think". The only thing that matters is the law.
To summarize, in order to claim the tax credit for parents with no income:
- Beneficiaries (parents) should NEVER have been claimed as dependents on their sponsor's (child's) US tax returns (this is REALLY important)
- Beneficiaries should file their own tax returns as married filing jointly (if married) In this case, it would be 0 income, 0 taxes on the forms.
- Fill out the health subsidy reconciliation form the following year. Again 0 income means 0 taxes.
I wish people would stop fear mongering and just stick to the facts.

Where exactly does it state that if you CAN be claimed as a dependent you MUST file as a dependent? What the law says is that IF you (the sponsor/child) claim someone (parents) as a dependent, then you can't claim a tax subsidy for their health premiums, because your income is included in the household income. If they file separately, they are considered a separate "tax household" even if they live in your house (same filing address.)
With all due respect, it doesn't matter what you "think". The only thing that matters is the law.
To summarize, in order to claim the tax credit for parents with no income:
- Beneficiaries (parents) should NEVER have been claimed as dependents on their sponsor's (child's) US tax returns (this is REALLY important)
- Beneficiaries should file their own tax returns as married filing jointly (if married) In this case, it would be 0 income, 0 taxes on the forms.
- Fill out the health subsidy reconciliation form the following year. Again 0 income means 0 taxes.
I wish people would stop fear mongering and just stick to the facts.

Killer post. Thanx.
For 65 and under, Obamacare will give you options and subsidy as well if she qualifies with the income limits.

At the risk of repeating other posts, I just wanted to share my experience of being able to find affordable health insurance for my parents. Here are some details:
Parents - over 65, here on Green Card (permanent residents)
Living in the US for less than 5 years (about 2 years)
Eligible for tax subsidy through Obamacare (this does NOT constitute a public charge)
Residents of State of Michigan, have social security numbers
Eligible for Silver level insurance plans
Filed their $0 federal/state taxes jointly, separate from mine (I do NOT claim them as dependents on my tax return - this is important)
I had searched the healthcare.gov website last year for insurance for them and came up empty handed. We purchased "travelers insurance" online (***removed***) but got shafted. My parent had a major health incident and they didn't cover anything (all claims were denied as pre-existing condition) Stay away from these types of insurance.
I tried healthcare.gov again this year and couldn't find anything again. They seem to assume everyone over 65 is eligible for Medicare by default. This isn't true for immigrants, they need to have lived in the US for at least 5 years before they can participate in Medicare.
Anyway, the short story is the website is still not up to date. If you want to purchase health insurance, you will need to work with a healthcare navigator. There are several public service organizations that have these navigators who will help you for free. They will help you do the application over the phone, and then it works. I am in Michigan and went through Jewish Family Service.
I was able to get health insurance for my parents who have no income, for around $100 a month per parent (after $1000 tax subsidy, because their income is less than $21K) Now that is REALLY affordable, and it is proper mainstream insurance (Blue Cross Michigan) None of that travelers' insurance BS.
Just trying to get the word out, because the open enrollment deadline is January 31st. If your parents arrive after Jan 31st, you can still sign up at that time, because their arrival date qualifies as a special "life event". But if they are already in the US, please sign up by Jan 31st. Otherwise they will have to wait until November for the next enrollment period to begin.

At the risk of repeating other posts, I just wanted to share my experience of being able to find affordable health insurance for my parents. Here are some details:
Parents - over 65, here on Green Card (permanent residents)
Living in the US for less than 5 years (about 2 years)
Eligible for tax subsidy through Obamacare (this does NOT constitute a public charge)
Residents of State of Michigan, have social security numbers
Eligible for Silver level insurance plans
Filed their $0 federal/state taxes jointly, separate from mine (I do NOT claim them as dependents on my tax return - this is important)
I had searched the healthcare.gov website last year for insurance for them and came up empty handed. We purchased "travelers insurance" online (***removed***) but got shafted. My parent had a major health incident and they didn't cover anything (all claims were denied as pre-existing condition) Stay away from these types of insurance.
I tried healthcare.gov again this year and couldn't find anything again. Many seem to assume, wrongly, that everyone over 65 is eligible for Medicare by default. This isn't true for immigrants, they need to have lived in the US for at least 5 years before they can participate in Medicare.
Anyway, the short story is healthcare.gov has still not caught on to this. If you want to purchase health insurance, you will need to work with a healthcare navigator. There are several public service organizations that have these navigators who will help you for free. They will help you do the application over the phone, and then it works just fine. I am in Michigan and went through Jewish Family Service. Have your parents green cards and SSN handy, that is all they need.
There appears to be a widely held misconception that immigrant seniors over 65 are not covered by Obamacare. This is absolutely NOT true. You don't have to wait for 5 years for Medicare to kick in. Recent immigrants older than 65 can purchase health insurance via healthcare.gov, just like any other US citizen or legal permanent resident. Some state exchanges might not know it, the person you talk to on the phone might not know it, the healthcare.gov website certainly doesn't appear to understand this special situation, but trust me parents on green cards who have been in the US less than 5 years ARE eligible for subsidized health coverage.
I was able to get health insurance for my parents who have no income, for around $100 a month per parent (after a $1000 tax subsidy, because their income is less than limit of ~$21K) Now that is REALLY affordable, and it is proper mainstream insurance (Blue Cross Michigan) None of that travelers' insurance BS.
Just trying to get the word out, because the open enrollment deadline is January 31st. If your parents arrive after Jan 31st, you can still sign up at that time, because their arrival date qualifies as a special "life event". But if they are already in the US, please sign up by Jan 31st. Otherwise they will have to wait until November for the next enrollment period to begin.

At the risk of repeating other posts, I just wanted to share my experience of being able to find affordable health insurance for my parents. Here are some details:
Parents - over 65, here on Green Card (permanent residents)
Living in the US for less than 5 years (about 2 years)
Eligible for tax subsidy through Obamacare (this does NOT constitute a public charge)
Residents of State of Michigan, have social security numbers
Eligible for Silver level insurance plans
Filed their $0 federal/state taxes jointly, separate from mine (I do NOT claim them as dependents on my tax return - this is important)
I had searched the healthcare.gov website last year for insurance for them and came up empty handed. We purchased "travelers insurance" online (***removed***) but got shafted. My parent had a major health incident and they didn't cover anything (all claims were denied as pre-existing condition) Stay away from these types of insurance.
I tried healthcare.gov again this year and couldn't find anything again. Many seem to assume, wrongly, that everyone over 65 is eligible for Medicare by default. This isn't true for immigrants, they need to have lived in the US for at least 5 years before they can participate in Medicare.
Anyway, the short story is healthcare.gov has still not caught on to this. If you want to purchase health insurance, you will need to work with a healthcare navigator. There are several public service organizations that have these navigators who will help you for free. They will help you do the application over the phone, and then it works just fine. I am in Michigan and went through Jewish Family Service. Have your parents green cards and SSN handy, that is all they need.
There appears to be a widely held misconception that immigrant seniors over 65 are not covered by Obamacare. This is absolutely NOT true. You don't have to wait for 5 years for Medicare to kick in. Recent immigrants older than 65 can purchase health insurance via healthcare.gov, just like any other US citizen or legal permanent resident. Some state exchanges might not know it, the person you talk to on the phone might not know it, the healthcare.gov website certainly doesn't appear to understand this special situation, but trust me parents on green cards who have been in the US less than 5 years ARE eligible for subsidized health coverage.
I was able to get health insurance for my parents who have no income, for around $100 a month per parent (after a $1000 tax subsidy, because their income is less than limit of ~$21K) Now that is REALLY affordable, and it is proper mainstream insurance (Blue Cross Michigan) None of that travelers' insurance BS.
Just trying to get the word out, because the open enrollment deadline is January 31st. If your parents arrive after Jan 31st, you can still sign up at that time, because their arrival date qualifies as a special "life event". But if they are already in the US, please sign up by Jan 31st. Otherwise they will have to wait until November for the next enrollment period to begin.

At the risk of repeating other posts, I just wanted to share my experience of being able to find affordable health insurance for my parents. Here are some details:
Parents - over 65, here on Green Card (permanent residents)
Living in the US for less than 5 years (about 2 years)
Eligible for tax subsidy through Obamacare (this does NOT constitute a public charge)
Residents of State of Michigan, have social security numbers
Eligible for Silver level insurance plans
Filed their $0 federal/state taxes jointly, separate from mine (I do NOT claim them as dependents on my tax return - this is important)
I had searched the healthcare.gov website last year for insurance for them and came up empty handed. We purchased "travelers insurance" online (***removed***) but got shafted. My parent had a major health incident and they didn't cover anything (all claims were denied as pre-existing condition) Stay away from these types of insurance.
I tried healthcare.gov again this year and couldn't find anything again. Many seem to assume, wrongly, that everyone over 65 is eligible for Medicare by default. This isn't true for immigrants, they need to have lived in the US for at least 5 years before they can participate in Medicare.
Anyway, the short story is healthcare.gov has still not caught on to this. If you want to purchase health insurance, you will need to work with a healthcare navigator. There are several public service organizations that have these navigators who will help you for free. They will help you do the application over the phone, and then it works just fine. I am in Michigan and went through Jewish Family Service. Have your parents green cards and SSN handy, that is all they need.
There appears to be a widely held misconception that immigrant seniors over 65 are not covered by Obamacare. This is absolutely NOT true. You don't have to wait for 5 years for Medicare to kick in. Recent immigrants older than 65 can purchase health insurance via healthcare.gov, just like any other US citizen or legal permanent resident. Some state exchanges might not know it, the person you talk to on the phone might not know it, the healthcare.gov website certainly doesn't appear to understand this special situation, but trust me parents on green cards who have been in the US less than 5 years ARE eligible for subsidized health coverage.
I was able to get health insurance for my parents who have no income, for around $100 a month per parent (after a $1000 tax subsidy, because their income is less than limit of ~$21K) Now that is REALLY affordable, and it is proper mainstream insurance (Blue Cross Michigan) None of that travelers' insurance BS.
Just trying to get the word out, because the open enrollment deadline is January 31st. If your parents arrive after Jan 31st, you can still sign up at that time, because their arrival date qualifies as a special "life event". But if they are already in the US, please sign up by Jan 31st. Otherwise they will have to wait until November for the next enrollment period to begin.

@missads: You got it backwards, hun! I AM the beneficiary and hubby is the petitioner! And he did want to go for it but after we talked it over (did the + and - thingy) we decided to stay on the CR/IR1 path... We didn't go with the K3 because it is pointless and this stage - we already had the bills for the immigrant visa So we are half way trough NVC (hopefully no RFE's)
@Emily: Thank you!! And Happy Belated Anniversary!!! You must forgive me, I was so worried these days! Nevertheless - Quiza soys enamorados unos 24x24 años mas y que nunca sienteis la soledad!!! :energy: (my spanish might be a lil rusty too.. )

That's if you think being able to come to the US 2 months earlier is "pointless".
Unfortunately "half way through NVC" you still have a long way to go. We paid our IV fee at the end of July and eventually got an interview date of October 5th, without any RFE, without wasting any time sending our documents back.
So, I would have asked the embassy when the interview for the K3 would be.

For #19, you would have included the country (Canada) in the address, correct? So it can't be that.
I am inclined to believe the problem is #21. Others have asked questions about #21 as well. I don't think you can leave it blank if you are married. Some folks have put down the address of the hotel where they honeymooned. Anywhere they stayed together, even if it was just overnight. I'm not sure what your specific situation was post-marriage. Haven't you two met and stayed together at all?
One of the things the USCIS looks at carefully is information to validate that the marriage is "real & valid", to weed out any abuse of the visa system. Is it possible at all for you to put down an address for #21?
Perhaps other experienced VJers could chime in as well...

Bad advice. Well-intentioned, but really bad advice nonetheless.
Look at the K-3 processing dates, and see for yourself.
http://www.visajourney.com/timeline/monthly_filers.php?visa=2&form=1&scenter=1&option=3&sortby=2
Then look at I-130 processing dates for IR-1/CR-1. Without K-3, I-130 gets processed much MUCH faster.
Bottomline, do NOT send in the I-129F